Tea Stained Page Projects

Idea 1: Decos: These are tiny books people pass from one artist to another to fill one or two pages at a time. Creating a deco out of tea stained pages will give it sort of a vintage-style theme that will inspire each participant of this mail-art project.

A deco can be assembled using staples, being stitched or even glued together. Many people create what looks like a small gift card insert, then fold in five pages (a single signature) and then attaching them together. The decos I've created have typically had a card stock or a heavy weight paper cover. I embellish the cover when the deco returns home so nothing falls off in transition.

Idea 2: Mini-books: mini-books are a lot of fun to make, particularly if you already have experience binding larger handmade books and are looking to create a smaller scale (and often quicker) project. Bookbinding is difficult for some to learn, so don't be frustrated if you don't master to craft right away. Folding these tea stained pages into signatures for your mini-book will cause it to bow out slightly, but that can be remedied by placing the project under a heavy stack of books upon completion.

There are a number of sites and books available with tutorials and lesson plans about how to create a mini-book. My suggestion is to consume as much of this information as possible before starting, then pick ideas from each lesson you've learned and create something unique to your personality and interests (or whatever else is inspiring you). These mini-books are also an excellent mail art project.

Idea 3: Accordion books: These tend to be a little more challenging to make, initially, because you want all your folds to match up correctly. Once that part is over with, though, you have a lot of opportunity for creativity. When I create accordion books, I use a piece of card stock or heavy weight paper and fold it into an ATC sized book with (typically) five or six pages. I use the tea stained pages to embellish each flat surface and create the cover. Again, this book will bow out slightly and placing the project under something heavy will solve that.

I've generally created these accordion books to use as greeting cards, to house small drawings, to store a series of ATCs and to pass around in a mail art round robin.

Idea 4: Greeting cards: Embellishing greeting cards with tea stained pages gives them a unique look and feel. I've achieved the best look by using dark colored card stock (like navy, burgundy or hunter green) and placed pieces of the tea stained paper on each flat surface of the card, leaving about 1/4 inch around the border of each. Tear each piece, rather than cutting them down, and touch walnut ink along the deckled edges before affixing them to the card. Embellish them to fit the them of the card's intent.

For this project, I've also created a tea stained page envelope to place he card inside. Using an old greeting card and envelope as a template will ensure everything fits and folds properly. Touching the walnut ink along the edges of the envelope before assembling it gives it a striking look and adds drama once it's all together.

Idea 5: Illustrated letters: Letter writing seems to be a lost art, but it doesn't have to be. Using a gel or felt tipped pen, create illustrations around the border of the paper about one inch from the edge. Once you've completed your illustrations, color them in with colored pencils. Choose vibrant colors because the tea stained pages will dull the colors a bit. Then, write your letter as you normally would.

Again, creating a tea stained page envelope for this project will be in keeping with the theme. Add illustrations on the outside of the envelope once it's assembled.